2 teen girls in Wash. Army barracks; 1 dead

[samanthajane13]

A 16-year-old girl was found dead and another teenage girl was discovered unconscious in a barracks on this Army base south of Tacoma, the Army said Monday.

In a statement issued about 36 hours after base emergency personnel responded to a 911 call early Sunday morning, Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Piek said a Madigan Army Medical Center doctor declared one girl dead at the scene. The second teen was taken to Madigan for emergency medical care and was reported in stable condition Monday.

There were no outward signs of physical trauma on either girl, Piek told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday night. He said Army doctors at Madigan were performing an autopsy on the dead girl, but results might not be available for at least a week.

The Army is investigating what the girls were doing in the barracks and whether drugs or alcohol were involved, he said. The presence of the two civilian girls "in the barracks at 3:30 a.m. is likely a violation of any of the units' barracks visitation policies," he said.

Civilians entering and leaving the base are supposed to be carefully tracked.

A civilian entering the base has to show ID, Army spokesman John Norgren told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, adding, "You have to have a reason to be on the installation and you have to be sponsored" by a member of the military on base.

"It's quite a comprehensive system," Norgren said.

Piek said the Army would not be releasing the names of the girls because they were minors and civilians. The Fort Lewis Criminal Investigation Division was investigating both the circumstances and cause of death.

A Fort Lewis soldier who was "allegedly acquainted with the two girls" has been questioned, but no arrests have been made, Piek said.

The Army didn't release information about the incident until Monday because it took place during a holiday weekend and officials needed to notify the teens' families, the spokesman said.


http://www.buffalonews.com/260/story/581430.html

[One2Snoop]

Wow! Please keep us updated on this case SJ. I'd like to know the outcome of this investigation and why these 2 teens died.

Thanks for all you do.

[samanthajane13]

I'll be watching for updates!!

[One2Snoop]

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

I'll be watching for updates!!

Have you seen any updates on this SJ?

[samanthajane13]

Nothing yet, O2S.

I've been watching for it, too.

[samanthajane13]

Army investigates teenage girl’s death at Fort Lewis base
Another teen, found unconscious, is recovering
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review
February 18, 2009 in City

FORT LEWIS, Wash. – A 16-year-old girl found unconscious at a Fort Lewis barracks is getting better, and investigators are looking to her to explain the circumstances of another teen’s death over the weekend, an Army spokesman said Tuesday.

“Once she is in a state that she can be interviewed by the Criminal Investigation Division, I’m sure the investigators will do so to gather the facts about what the girls were doing on post,” spokesman Joe Piek said.

The two 16-year-old girls were found at a barracks – one passed out, one dead at the scene – at 3:30 a.m. Sunday, with no outward signs of trauma. The girl who was unconscious was in “stable and improving” condition at Madigan Army Medical Center, Piek said. An autopsy on the dead girl has been completed but results are not expected for at least a week.

Investigators have questioned a soldier acquainted with the girls, but Piek said there was no immediate explanation for what they were doing when emergency responders answered a 911 call.

The identities of both girls were withheld, but both are from the south Puget Sound area and are not military dependents.

The girl who died attended Lakes High School for her freshman year last year. She dropped out to take online courses last fall, at the beginning of her sophomore year, but re-enrolled at the school earlier this month, said Kim Prentice, a spokeswoman for the Clover Park School District.

Prentice said she did not believe the other girl was enrolled in the district.

Piek said one part of the investigation will focus on the base’s policies for allowing civilian visitors on post and for guests at barracks. No overnight visitors are allowed in the barracks, and authorized visitors must leave by 2 a.m. on weekends.

More critically, any minors who aren’t a member of their host’s immediate family must be accompanied in the barracks by a parent or guardian.

Anyone with a valid Department of Defense identification is allowed to escort a civilian – even an unrelated minor – onto the base. Piek said that policy is under review. The Army wants to know what the girls were doing in the barracks and whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

“To what extent these policies were followed will be a subject of the ongoing investigation,” Piek said.

The manager of a dry-cleaning store near Fort Lewis told the Seattle Times she often sees teenage girls approach young soldiers at a parking lot across the street from her shop and ask for rides onto the base.

“It’s easy for them to get on the post. It happens all the time,” Plaza Cleaners manager Maria Dibbens said. “They want to get on base and see the young GIs.”

The Army initially issued a statement about the girls Monday afternoon, about 36 hours after the 911 call. Piek said it took the Army until then because the events took place during a holiday weekend and gathering information took time.


http://www.spokesman.com/stories/200...rt-lewis-base/

[samanthajane13]

Army: 2 teen girls found in Fort Lewis barracks; 1 dead, 1 stable after emergency care
Associated Press
Last update: February 16, 2009 - 10:52 PM



FORT LEWIS, Wash. - A 16-year-old girl was found dead and another teenage girl was discovered unconscious in a barracks on this Army base south of Tacoma, the Army said Monday.

In a statement issued about 36 hours after base emergency personnel responded to a 911 call early Sunday morning, Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Piek said a Madigan Army Medical Center doctor declared one girl dead at the scene. The second teen was taken to Madigan for emergency medical care and was reported in stable condition Monday.

There were no outward signs of physical trauma on either girl, Piek told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday night. He said Army doctors at Madigan were performing an autopsy on the dead girl, but results might not be available for at least a week.

The Army is investigating what the girls were doing in the barracks and whether drugs or alcohol were involved, he said. The presence of the two civilian girls "in the barracks at 3:30 a.m. is likely a violation of any of the units' barracks visitation policies," he said.

Civilians entering and leaving the base are supposed to be carefully tracked.

A civilian entering the base has to show ID, Army spokesman John Norgren told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, adding, "You have to have a reason to be on the installation and you have to be sponsored" by a member of the military on base.

"It's quite a comprehensive system," Norgren said.

Piek said the Army would not be releasing the names of the girls because they were minors and civilians. The Fort Lewis Criminal Investigation Division was investigating both the circumstances and cause of death.

A Fort Lewis soldier who was "allegedly acquainted with the two girls" has been questioned, but no arrests have been made, Piek said.

The Army didn't release information about the incident until Monday because it took place during a holiday weekend and officials needed to notify the teens' families, the spokesman said.


http://www.startribune.com/nation/39695752.html

[samanthajane13]

Army says teen’s death at Fort Lewis drug-related
By Associated Press
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - Added 2d 15h ago

FORT LEWIS, Wash. - Army investigators say the death of a 16-year-old girl at an Army base barracks in Washington state is drug-related.

Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey, wouldn’t identify the drug Wednesday while the investigation is continuing into the death at Fort Lewis.

However, Grey said from the command headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Va., that the dead girl and another 16-year-old girl who became unconscious early Sunday were acquainted with a soldier in the barracks.

Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Piek (peek) says the surviving girl is in stable and improving condition at Madigan Army Medical Center.

Neither of the two girls was a military dependent.


http://www.bostonherald.com/news/nat...53000&srvc=rss

[samanthajane13]

Girl in Fort Lewis incident is being released from hospital

A 16-year-old girl was being released from Madigan Army Medical Center today, after she was admitted early Sunday when she was found unconscious in a Fort Lewis barracks.

By Seattle Times staff

A 16-year-old girl was being released from Madigan Army Medical Center today, after she was admitted early Sunday when she was found unconscious in a Fort Lewis barracks, a hospital spokesperson said this afternoon.

Another 16-year-old with her, Leah King, died Sunday in the case authorities say is drug-related.

Also today, a base spokesperson said the Army on Tuesday began inspecting more cars coming into the base — and doing more thorough inspections of those cars — in an effort to keep minors off the base.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...yndication=rss

[samanthajane13]

Fort Lewis Death Identified As Lakewood Girl, 16
Second Girl Found Unresponsive
Monday, February 16, 2009 – updated: 6:23 pm PST February 17, 2009

FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- Army officials are still investigating how two 16-year-old civilian girls got onto the Fort Lewis base, where one girl was eventually found dead and another girl unresponsive in the barracks.

Sources tell KIRO 7 Eyewitness News that 16-year-old Leah King was found dead in the barracks early Sunday morning.

The Clover Park School District said King was a tenth-grade student at Lakes High School in Lakewood. She had only recently returned to classes three weeks ago, after taking her high school courses at home.

According to the Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office, emergency response personnel on the base responded to the barracks after receiving a 911 call at 3:30 a.m. and found two unresponsive 16-year-old girls.

King was declared dead at the scene by a doctor from Madigan Army Medical Center.

Army sources told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Richard Thompson that an autopsy was completed, but because investigators were looking into the possibility that drugs and/or alcohol may have played a role in the girl's death, the results of toxicology tests would be needed. The tests could take up to several weeks to come back.

The second victim was transported to Madigan, where she remained in stable condition Tuesday.

One Tuesday, Army Public Affairs Officer Joe Piek released barracks guidelines that state: "No overnight visitors are permitted in the barracks" and that "Any non-military visitor under the age of 18 years old who is not a member of the host Soldier's immediate family must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times." Read Policy Here.

"To what extent these policies were followed will be a subject of the ongoing investigation," Piek said.

They are investigating how the girls, who have no family or official connection to Fort Lewis, got onto the base, and what they were doing there, said Fort Lewis spokesman John Norgren.

Norgren said a soldier told another person about the girls, and then that person called 911. The soldier has been questioned, Norgren said. An Army source said the soldier was "allegedly acquainted" with the girls.

Officials said they could not comment on whether the death was being investigated as a crime. No arrests have been made.

Base officials said the girl's death was under investigation by the Fort Lewis Criminal Investigation Division and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

A spokesman for Lakes High School said a grief response team is on campus to help student's cope with the King's death.


http://www.kirotv.com/news/18727289/detail.html

[samanthajane13]

Investigators look to surviving teen to explain girl's death at Fort Lewis barracks

Posted: Feb 18, 2009 10:08 AM

Updated: Feb 18, 2009 10:08 AM

FORT LEWIS, WA -- An Army spokesman says a 16-year-old girl found unconscious at a Fort Lewis barracks is getting better, and investigators are looking to her to explain the circumstances of another teen's death.

Spokesman Joe Piek says once the girl can be interviewed by the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, he's sure investigators can gather the facts about what the girls were doing at the base.

The two 16-year-old girls were found at a barracks ... one passed out, one dead at the scene ... at 3:30 a.m. Sunday, with no outward signs of trauma.

Piek says the girl who was unconscious is in "stable and improving" condition at Madigan Army Medical Center. An autopsy on the dead girl has been completed but results are not expected for at least a week.

Investigators have questioned a soldier acquainted with the girls, but Piek said there was no immediate explanation for what they were doing when emergency responders answered a 911 call.

The identities of both girls were withheld, but both are from the south Puget Sound area and are not military dependents.

A spokeswoman for the Clover Park School District says the girl who died attended Lakes High School in Tacoma for her freshman year last year. She dropped out to take online courses last fall, at the beginning of her sophomore year, but re-enrolled at the school this month.

Kim Prentice says she did not believe the other girl was enrolled in the district.


http://www.kxly.com/global/story.asp?s=9864193

[samanthajane13]

Girl's Fort Lewis Death Being Investigated As Drug Case

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 – updated: 5:57 pm PST February 18, 2009
TACOMA, Wash. -- The death of a 16-year-old girl at Fort Lewis is being investigated as a possible drug case, an Army spokesman said.

Chris Grey, a spokesman for Army Criminal Investigation Command, told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News that both the Lakewood girl who died, Leah King, and another girl who was found unconscious at a barracks on the base were acquaintances of a soldier that resided there.

A friend of King's, who did not want to be identified, said the victim had a history of drug abuse but had been through rehabilitation and was getting her life back on track. The friend told KIRO that King had a 19-year-old boyfriend who was stationed at Fort Lewis.

KIRO 7 learned that King was living in a motel with her 21-year-old sister just seven miles from Fort Lewis.

The victim had recently re-enrolled in the 10th-grade at Lakes High School after dropping out and taking online classes last fall. Grief counselors are at the school to help King's classmates cope with her death.

KIRO's partner, the News Tribune of Tacoma, said King's boyfriend was questioned by the Army and released.

The victim's family posted a message on King's MySpace page Tuesday which confirmed her death but did not reveal any details.

Army officials are investigating how the girls, who have no family or official connection to Fort Lewis, got onto the base, and what they were doing there, said Fort Lewis spokesman John Norgren.

Army Public Affairs Officer Joe Piek released barracks guidelines on Tuesday that state: "No overnight visitors are permitted in the barracks" and that "Any non-military visitor under the age of 18 years old who is not a member of the host soldier's immediate family must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times." Read the policy.

"To what extent these policies were followed will be a subject of the ongoing investigation," Piek said.

Grey said officials are not releasing further details.

The surviving 16-year-old girl remains at Madigan Army Medical Center in stable condition, Piek said.


http://www.kirotv.com/news/18739679/detail.html#-

[samanthajane13]

Death at post may be due to narcotics
By Stacey Mulick | The News Tribune • Published February 19, 2009

The death of a 16-year-old girl at Fort Lewis last week is being investigated as a possible drug-related case, the Army said Wednesday.

Investigators are looking into a possible drug angle in Leah King's death, said Chris Grey, a spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, which has its headquarters in Virginia.

"There will be no more release of information until we are absolutely positive as to what transpired," Grey said.

He confirmed that King and another 16-year-old girl, whose name has not been released, were acquainted with a soldier living in the barracks where both girls were found unresponsive early Sunday.

King was pronounced dead inside the barracks. An autopsy was completed at Madigan Army Medical Center, but a cause of death was not immediately determined.

The other girl was taken to Madigan for treatment. She's reportedly in stable condition and has been improving.

King's family announced her death on the teen's MySpace page online, saying "just so everyone knows, we have very few details about what happened to Leah." They've declined interviews through officials with the Clover Park School District, where King attended Lakes High School.

King's sister sent an e-mail to KIRO-TV, asking for privacy and saying the family will speak out when they are ready.

"Our family would love the public to remember Leah as she should be, as the great person that she was," the sister wrote.

KIRO also reported that King was living with her sister in a motel near Fort Lewis.

Word of King's death, initially spread by voicemails and text messages from friends, said she died from a drug overdose.

The soldier has been questioned and released. Investigators were conducting other interviews in the case.

A soldier in the 864th Engineering Battalion, the same as that of the soldier who was questioned, said battalion commanders had briefed soldiers on what happened earlier this week.

He said barracks will now have guards on weekday nights from 6 to 11 and through the weekends, though it is unknown how long that will last.

The soldier asked that his name not be released because the commanders said anyone who spoke about the incident would be reprimanded.

Meanwhile, Fort Lewis officials are reviewing their policies on access to the base and to the barracks.

Under the policies, guests 16 and older must be sponsored by an authorized ID holder and must present photo identification before entering the post. To visit a barracks, a minor must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Staff reporter Brian Everstine contributed to this report.


http://www.theolympian.com/localnews...ry/763240.html